MEDITAZIONE

MEDITATION. — prayer (v.) in which the soul, through attentive consideration of the truths of faith, moves the will toward good and fervor in the spiritual life. It is not mere intellectual speculation, but an exercise essentially ordered to the perfection of the self (St. Francis de Sales, *Theotimus*, 6, 2). In meditation, nearly all the interior faculties are employed: memory, which presents the material to be meditated upon; the intellect, which investigates its nature and properties; and the will, which produces affections and corresponding resolutions.

I. OBJECT OF MEDITATION

The object of meditation consists of truths of faith capable of moving the soul toward good; purely theoretical inquiries belong rather to study than to meditation.

In general, any subject suitable for stirring and strengthening the soul in virtue is good, according to the words of St. Paul (Phil. 4:8). Such subjects are found especially in the Gospels, in the liturgy, and in the writings and lives of the saints. Jesus Christ, with His teachings and examples, the attributes of God, the prerogatives of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and eternal truths are the subjects most recommended (N. Lancitius, *Op.*, 2, no. 181; J. Alvarez [V. BIBLICA.], III, 3, prooem.). One should seek what is most suited to one’s condition of life and spirit, to one’s needs and inclinations. It is advised that meditation correspond as closely as possible to individual needs, since there is such great variety among souls: some are moved by abstract truths, others by examples, and it may be useful to vary, provided that one frequently returns to fundamental points that truly engage the soul (C. Schorrer, *Theologia ascetica*, part 3, 5, series, ch. 1).

Meditation is one of the most effective and necessary means for the development of the interior life and for sanctification, because it habituates the spirit to know supernatural truths in an intimate and personal way, while guiding it to God or causing it to live in a divine atmosphere. Indeed, meditation disposes man to savor and understand divine things, the beauties of grace and of the virtues, the mysteries of the Redeemer, and helps him to be transformed through the acquisition of mastery over his senses and actions. For this reason, it is recommended by all spiritual masters, particularly to those who are bound to strive for a more perfect life. The *Codex Iuris Canonici* prescribes it daily for the clergy (can. 125, §2) and for religious (can. 592), and Pius XII declared such practice “indispensable” for priestly perfection (*Allocutio ad parochos Urbis*, in *AAS*, 35 [1943], pp. 105–16; *Adhortatio: Menti Nostrae*, ibid., 42 [1950], pp. 671–72).

II. METHODS

Meditation is an ascetical practice that over the centuries has assumed more definitive forms (P. Pourrat, *La spiritualité chrétienne*, 3rd ed., Paris 1927, p. 8 ff.). Already in the early Middle Ages, methods of meditation began to take shape, with the selection of specific lists of subjects to be meditated upon progressively (*Revue d’ascétique et de mystique*, 6 [1925], p. 367 ff.). Thus did St. Edmund of Canterbury, the Dominican William Peraldus, St. Bonaventure (*De triplici via*, ch. 1), and Bl. Raymond Lull employ the various faculties of the soul—“ratio, synteresis, conscientia, voluntas, memoria.” The *devotio moderna* (v.) introduced and spread new, more systematic methods of mental prayer, rendered necessary by the decline of the interior life with the rise of pagan Renaissance influences; it was in this period that the various “scalae” and “exercitatoria” appeared. With the invention of printing, books of meditation were widely disseminated. By the end of the 16th century, through the *Rosetum* of Mauburnus (1494), which established that meditation should be conducted on specific points (*meditabilia puncta*), further refinements followed, especially through the *Spiritual Exercises* (v.) of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1556), and methodical meditation reached its culmination in its evolution (P. Pourrat, *op. cit.*, III, p. 34). Opposing currents Alumbrados (v.) and Miguel de Molinos (Denz.-U., 1238–40), who disparaged discursive meditation, as well as Fénelon (ibid., 1341), who considered it of little value and akin to “interested” love, were condemned by the Church.

Difficulties raised against meditation, even in recent times, generally stem from a false conception of method. Some critics, upon hearing terms such as reflections, affections, resolutions, and colloquies, fear that such a procedure is mechanical and impedes souls from freely following the movements of grace. But it is easy to demonstrate the necessity of these elements if meditation is to be fruitful prayer. Mere reflections and affections without resolutions would contribute little to the acquisition of perfection. Affections without colloquies—that is, without petitionary prayer—would deprive the soul of the surest means of obtaining the grace to maintain the fruits of its reflections and resolutions, as well as that intimacy with God which is nourished by confident and filial outpourings. Conversely, one who contented himself with affections and colloquies without intellectual reflection would lack the deep convictions about religious truths that must sustain the entire spiritual life. For this reason, St. Thomas says that the cause of devotion, after the grace of God, is meditation—that is, the intellectual consideration of the truths of faith (*Summa Theologiae*, II-II, q. 82, a. 3); it is a work of persuasion, assimilation, and deepening.

Nevertheless, it is certain that acts of the will are more important than those of the intellect, and therefore more affections than thoughts are required. All spiritual masters affirm that when the will is stirred, the work of the intellect must cease, since the end has already been attained. Reasoning will resume when affections begin to wane. It is generally recommended to avoid haste and to accustom oneself to linger in affections until the heart is fully satisfied. Affections may be expressed vocally in the form of ejaculatory prayers, arising spontaneously and recited slowly and thoughtfully, or by using formulas already in use in the Church, such as verses from the Psalms or the liturgy. Some authors, given the importance of such affections, propose various lists of those most useful to the spiritual life, classified according to the needs of beginners, those making progress, and the perfect (cf. J. Alvarez [V. BIBLICA.], pp. 933–1183, 1185–1220).

As for resolutions, care should be taken that they be practical and truly serve for the amendment of life and the acquisition of perfection; specific, that is, circumscribed with regard to the occasions in which they are to be put into practice; adapted to the present state of the one meditating; preferably to be executed at once; grounded in solid foundations, that is, in strong motives of reason and faith, and not in fleeting enthusiasms or transient consolations; humble, that is, based on self-distrust and the conviction of the necessity of invoking God’s aid through prayer. It should be remembered that one must not attach such importance to resolutions as to judge useless any prayer that does not formulate them; nor should one believe it necessary to make new resolutions each time. Often it is better to reiterate the same ones for a long period, until they have been truly put into practice.

### III. TECHNIQUE

As for the "technique" of meditation, there is great variety among the different schools of spirituality. Generally, all agree on a twofold preparatory work, remote and proximate. The person meditating prepares by recollection and then by reading the points to be meditated upon, either done personally or listened to from others; then one places oneself in the presence of God, to whom an oration is directed, ordinarily vocal, offering the meditation to Him and asking for grace to carry it out well. This is followed by the proper meditative work on the chosen subject, which concludes with colloquies or prayers intended to ask for some grace related to the subject matter and especially to the resolutions made, or even of another kind. Such colloquies are also very useful during the course of meditation and are directed to God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the saints.

A special form of meditation consists first of all in "repetitions," meditations entirely redone with the intention of drawing new fruits from the same subject, either by lingering only on those points where one was previously more fervent, or by summarizing, or by surveying the entire series of meditations or mysteries already considered "in a bird's eye view." This technique forms souls deeply acquainted with spiritual paths.

Moreover, highly effective are the "contemplations" or exercises of the soul's faculties no longer through reasoning, but through examples, observation, and intuition; a method not to be confused with acquired or infused contemplation (v.). Such contemplations are ordinarily made on the mysteries of the life of Jesus, supposing oneself to be present and to observe them with one's own eyes, through a kind of imaginary representation. The persons, words, and works are contemplated with the aim of being instructed and edified with some spiritual fruit. There are many examples of this method of prayer in the meditations on the life of Jesus by Fra Giovanni de' Caulibus (falsely attributed to St. Bonaventure; X, Quaracchi 1940, p. 23), in the works of Thomas à Kempis, of Ludolph of Saxony, and in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The latter (Spiritual Exercises, 2nd week, Application of the Senses) and also St. Bonaventure (Itinerarium mentis in Deum, ch. 4) have also popularized a third form of contemplation, called "application of the senses," by having the five imaginative and spiritual senses employed, that is, inducing one to internally see, hear, taste, smell, and touch sacred persons, places, and things according to certain rules. Thus, for example, to taste the spiritual fragrance of virtue, the sweetness and delight of God's love, the nausea and disgust of sin and worldly spirit, etc. This form of prayer nurtures feelings of complacency, enjoyment, and loving delight in the Divine Redeemer, in virtues, and is a method particularly profitable when accompanied by the preceding ones (F. S. Calcagno, Ascetica ignaziana, I, Turin 1936, pp. 208-15).

Finally, for those who have less capacity in spiritual matters, the use of meditated vocal prayers is recommended, that is, prayers said with proper pauses, in which one reflects on the various meanings of the individual words or phrases, or the meditation and pondering of the meaning of some scriptural passage, and also the repetition many times of the same ejaculatory prayer, or of different ones in a certain order, as the Savior Himself gave the example (Mt 26:39; cf. Lancius, De causis et remediis ariditatis in oratione, chaps. 2 and 14) and the Church in the invitatory of Matins, and countless saints.

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Arnaldo M. Lanz